Total Truth

Session 6 – Morality, Ethics, and Religion

James River Community Church

David Curfman

February – April 2014

Did you look at your work

differently this week?

What’s the difference between work, play,

and service?

◦ Motivation

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between

work and play. - Arnold J. Toynbee

Next topic – Morality without religion?

◦ http://youtu.be/sEQuIDqY6Cc

Outline

1. Introduction – Truth

2. Two Worlds – Post Modernism

3. Other Worldviews

4. Ancient Worldviews

5. Cultural Mandate - Work

6. Morality, Ethics, and Religion

7. Privatization of Faith

8. The Science of the Common Sense

9. Darwin’s of the Mind

10. How We Lost our Minds

11. When American met Christianity, Guess Who Won?

12. What Next? Living it Out

What then are our key

complementary roles in culture?

1. To create, improve and transform culture by developing the social order and natural order via our work (Gen 1:28)

2. To bring Christ into the lives of people

Matthew 28: 19 & 20 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey

everything I have commanded you.”

- The Great Commission

3. To love God with all of your being

4. To love your neighbor

To recap – Do your core values

align with the values of your work?

Many of us live in two worlds:◦ Private world (family, church, faith expressed)

◦ Public world (suppression of faith and truth)

How can we be bilingual (i.e., gospel perspective and language of the culture)?

How does this affect our sense of fulfillment?◦ Only when we’re engaged in creative,

constructive work – for the glory of God and the benefit of others

◦ We’re not on an endless vacation

How does the “cultural mandate”

affect our view of the culture?

Can we appreciate works of art and music and culture as products of human creativity expressing the image of God?

Can we respond to sin and error in light of the standard of scripture?

Can we appreciate the beauty, but critique the content of a piece of art, music, or culture?

So, what is your first response to culture?◦ Celebration of creativity?

◦ Condemnation of sin?

How does the “cultural mandate” affect

our view of Life? It’s not an abstract, random, or academic process,

but intensely providential

It points us to the Creator to answer to the cry of the human heart – “Why am I here?”

Do you know the Christian Worldview is truth?

God’s truth demands a response:

◦ A sacred/secular split makes no sense

◦ God’s Word becomes a light to all our paths

◦ I must bring every part of my life under the Lordship of Jesus – to love Him, glorify Him, and cultivate His creation!

Can you give examples of believers

who transformed the social order?

Justinian (483-565) – Byzantine emperor who had his

jurists prepare the Justinian Code, which clearly

condemned abortion and infanticide as illegal.

George Mueller (1805-98) – Mueller was an evangelist

who established orphanages in Bristol, England after a

cholera epidemic. For the next 60 years, he cared for

more than 10,000 orphaned and abandoned children.

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) – Baptist minister

who spoke in support of fair and equal treatment for

African Americans in the United States during the 1960’s.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964

Can you give examples of believers

who transformed science? Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) – Polish astronomer who proposed the

heliocentric model (planets revolving around the sun).

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) – German astronomer and accomplished

scientist who coined the phrase, “Thinking God’s thoughts after him”,

identified two key laws of astronomy – the elliptical orbit of planets and the

law that planets do not move at a uniform speed.

Isaac Newton (1642-1727) – English physicist and mathematician whose many

accomplishments include the discovery of the law of gravity and the invention

of calculus.

George Washington Carver (1864-1943) – An African-American chemist (his

parents were slaves) was awarded the Roosevelt Medal in 1939 for his

research on peanuts and sweet potatoes. The medal read, in part, “To a

scientist humbly seeking the guidance of God…”

Can you give examples of believers

who transformed art? Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) - A dedicated Christian, a

prolific composer, wrote sacred music, dedicating his efforts to the

glory of God.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) – Italian Renaissance artist is

remembered for his many biblically inspired works of art, including

the sculpture of David, his painting of the Sistine Chapel in Rome

and “The Last Judgment”. Michelangelo “believed that spiritual value

could be found in all natural beauty.”

George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) – German born composer,

wrote the admired oratorio “Messiah” in a matter of weeks.

Rembrandt (1606-1669) – Dutch painter was one of the world’s

greatest painters and is known for his many biblical words including

“Return of the Prodigal Son”.

Can you give examples of believers

who transformed literature? John Milton (1608-1674) – was a Puritan who penned “Paradise Lost”

which recounts the Fall of Man and is considered a masterpiece of epic

English literature.

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) - Stowe’s vivid portrayal of slavery in

her classic book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” later caused Abraham Lincoln to

remark, “So this is the little lady who caused the great war”.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) – Russian author and historian as well

as recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in literature, wrote about the Soviet

labor camps (the Gulag) and was later exiled from Russia.

J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis – Two 20th century English writers who

penned some of the most popular works of fantasy in print; Tolkien “The

Lord of the Rings” and Lewis “The Chronicles of Narnia”.

So, What happened to take God

out of our culture? Middle Ages – unified thought

Renaissance (new birth) (1450) – Encouraged men to abandon the

restraints of the church and to develop modern interests,

enthusiasm and ideals. Revival of Learning, an awakening of mind

and a thirst after the new knowledge. Result – numerous

investigations of natural events, in a widespread study of art and

literature

Scientific Revolution (1500) – Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, DaVinci

Enlightenment (1700) – Its purpose was to reform society using

reason, challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and advance

knowledge through the scientific method. It promoted scientific

thought, skepticism, and intellectual interchange. Science is the sole

source of knowledge.

Dualism

Rene Decartes (1600’s) –◦ “I think, therefore I am”.

Material world is a vast machine.

◦ He separated mind (spirit, mind, emotion, will, thought) and matter (a machine subject to reason, laws, rules)

Romanticism

Humanities and

Religion

Enlightenment

Science and

Reason

What happened to our culture in the 1800’s?

(Romanticism or Secular Revolution)

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s there was drive to “professionalize” all fields◦ Secular approach

◦ Scientific

◦ Value-free

Colleges moved from a “general Protestant worldview and morality” to a “secular, a-religious, irreligious pursuit and transmission of knowledge”

Affected every area of culture – public schools, politics, psychology, media

So, What happened to take God

out of Harvard? Motto in 1636 – “Veritas pro Christo et Ecclesia;” (Truth for Christ

and Church)

Motto today – “Veritas”

“Rules and Precepts” (1646) – “the main end of life and studies is, to

know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life…the only foundation

of all sound knowledge and Learning.”

President Charles W. Eliot (1869) – drawing on Unitarian and

Emersonian ideals, “The worthy fruit of academic culture is an open

mind trained to careful thinking, instructed in the methods of

philosophic investigation, acquainted in a general way with the

accumulated thought of past generations, and penetrated with humility.

It is thus that the University in our day serves Christ and the church”

Dualism entrenched

Immanuel Kant (1700’s) –◦ Moral Law was no longer

determined by God, but by man

◦ He made “reason into God”

◦ Act “as if we are free”

Lyell and Darwin (1800’s)◦ Lyell – Earth evolved

◦ Darwin – Life evolved

Dualism complete

Freedom:

The

Autonomous

Self –Values

Nature:

Newtonian

World

Machine -

Facts

Some believe they can be

separate… “I reject any religious doctrine that does not appeal to

reason and is in conflict with morality” – Mahatma Gandhi

“In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into

contact with reality at any point” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Academe, n.: An ancient school where morality and

philosophy were taught.” “Academy, n.: A modern school

where football is taught” – Ambrose Bierce

“The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the

hijacking of morality by religion” – Arthur C. Clarke

But, not all agreed at the time on

Morality and Religion “Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of

public liberty and happiness” – Samuel Adams letter to John

Trumbull (October 16, 1778)

“If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if

without it?” – Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Paine

“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God

and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the

next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life

by its precepts.” - John Jay letter to Peter Augustus Jay (April

9, 1784)

Morality and Religion “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom” – Benjamin Franklin

Letter to the Abbes Chalut and Arnoux (1787)

“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be

maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to

expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle”

– George Washington

“The Christian religion, [when] brought to the original purity and simplicity

of its benevolent institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to

liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson Sheridan, Liberty and Virtue (Thomas Jefferson

Draft for a Bill to Establish Religious Freedom in Virginia

“Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without

faith” – Alexis de Tocqueville from Democracy in America (1835)

What are the basic theories of

morality and ethics today?

1. Human beings are capable of morals without God

2. Humans are neither good nor bad3. Consequentialism – Moral or ethical

decision is based on the results or outcome of that decision (i.e. relative)

4. Deontology – Moral or ethical decision is based on a founding set of rules or principles (i.e. absolute)

“…belief in god is a universal

obsessional neurosis” –

Sigmund Freud

What is consequentialism?1. Moral or ethical decision is based on the

results or outcome of that decision (i.e. relative)

◦ “Start not with moral rules, but with goals. They assess

actions by the extent to which they further those

goals.” – Peter Singer

◦ “The ends justify the means”

2. Types:

◦ State Consequentialism – what is best for the State

◦ Utilitarianism – goal of happiness (hedonism) or

functional

◦ Ethical egoism – best for me

◦ Ethical altruism – best for other

What is deontology?1. Moral or ethical decision is based on a

founding set of rules or principles◦ Adherence to a given set of rules

◦ Driven by duty

◦ Does not consider results or consequences

2. Types ◦ Moral Absolutism

◦ Divine Command – God said, “don’t steal”

◦ Permissible Harm – “Good of the many”

◦ Kantism - absolute truths based on “pure practical reason” by Kant

Kant’s “Categorical Imperative” (1785) First formulation – “Act only according to that maxim

whereby you can at the same time will that it should become

a universal law without contradiction.”

◦ “Do unto others….”

Second formulation – “Act in such a way that you treat

humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of

any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at

the same time as an end.”

◦ Motives not consequences are the judge. Means justify the ends

Third formulation – “Therefore, every rational being must so

act as if he were through his maxim always a legislating

member in the universal kingdom of ends.”

◦ Combines 1 and 2

• 34% of adults believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected

by the circumstances (46% of born again adults).

• 50% of adults firmly believe that the Bible is accurate in all the

principles it teaches (79% of born again adults).

• 27% of adults are convinced that Satan is a real force (40% of born

again adults).

• 28% of adults believe that it is impossible for someone to earn

their way into Heaven through good behavior (47% of born again

adults).

• 40% of adults are persuaded that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life

while He was on earth (62% of born again adults)

• 70% of adults say that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator

of the universe who still rules it today (93% of born again adults)

- Barna Survey 2009

What are current American Views on Morality?

Are there shared morals worldwide?

1. Don't kill

2. Don't cause pain or suffering to others

3. Prevent evil or harm from occurring

4. Rescue persons in danger

5. Tell the truth

6. Nurture the young and dependent

7. Keep your promises

8. Don't steal

9. Don't punish the innocent

10. Treat all persons with equal moral consideration

“Principles of Biomedical Ethics” – Beauchamp (2003)

Where do these morals originate? Evolution? Consensus? Created in the image of God (conscience)

and conviction by the Holy Spirit and written in the Bible◦ “Do unto others as you would have them do

to you” (Matt 7:12)

◦ “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 19:19)

◦ “They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them”. (Rom 2:15)

◦

Homework #1

Look at the source of morality in the news this week. Which approach does the individual use?

Next Week

Morality and Religion as viewed from our worldviews